Electric Kettles Buying Guide

How to buy quality electric kettle?

With always increasing popularity of electric kettles you have more models to choose from and better chance of getting good deal on appliance of your choice. Electric models have one big advantage over stovetop kettles: they don’t need another heating source. They are more portable as all you need to boil the water in them is a power socket. They come in variety of colours, shapes and styles. They are much more robust than their stovetop counterparts. They boil water much faster and don’t need your attention during the process. Of course they can be damaged by inappropriate use but many models have features which prevents against it.
What type of electric kettle to choose: cord or cordless?
Cordless models are now more popular than their cord counterparts. The main reason for that is that cordless models are more convenient. In cordless models cord is attached to the base of a kettle not to the appliance itself. You can take kettle out of its base and transport it not being limited by a cable length. In cord models cable is attached directly to the kettle limiting your movement range. Pouring water is more convenient with cordless modes but you have to remember that base of a kettle need to be keep clean which requires some effort.

What features should good electric kettle have?

There are few features which are desired and every good kettle should have them. Some are less significant but few are important and can make your life a bit easier.

Power

Power indicates how fast the kettle will boil the water. More powerful the kettle is faster it boils the water. Usually electric kettles have power of 2500 Watts. If the speed with which your appliance boils water doesn’t satisfy your requirements you may buy more powerful appliance. 3000 Watts will give you so called rapid boil.

Safety cut out

Switching kettle on when its empty or it has inadequate water level inside may damage the appliance. Cut out feature take care of this and switches off kettle when there is no water in the jag.

Base

The bottom of the base should be rubber-like so it doesn’t slides on the worktop. There are two types of bases. First allow placing the kettle in one position and is quite comfortable as long as you are right handed. Second type is a 360 degrees swivel base which let you place the kettle on the base from any angle you wish to do it. It is more convenient and make kettle suitable for left-handed.

Top Brands

The list of top electric kettles manufacturers is long and includes reputable brands such as Breville, Delonghi, Dualit, Bosch or UK’s Morphy Richards. All of them represent similar quality and oscillate around similar price range. Significant differences are between particular models so you should focus on item’s features more than its brand.

Price Range

The cheapest models we found cost around £5 but those are basic kettles lacking many useful features. Average UK market price for an electrical kettle is £25. Top models start from £40 onwards and can cost you up to £80. For around £50 you should get a high quality, durable item.